For the Birds: Washington Coalition Looks to Ban Battery Cages

by Taylor Leake · 2011-01-26 12:00:00 UTC
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Battery cages. They afford factory farms' egg-laying hens so little room, the birds can't even flap their wings, let alone stand or walk around. The cruel, unsanitary ages are banned or in the process of being banned in California, Michigan, Switzerland, and the European Union. Now, some activists are pushing for Washington state to join that list.

Working under a coalition called Washingtonians for Humane Farms, concerned organizations and citizens have submitted language to place a measure on the ballot in November. Titled the "Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act," the measure would ban the use of battery cages on any farm in Washington and eliminate the sale of any caged eggs in the state (even if these eggs were produced in other states). The coalition, which is comprised of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Farm Sanctuary, and other animal welfare, family farming, food safety, and environmental groups, will now solicit signatures from voters to get the measure on the ballot. If all goes well and folks approve the measure, the battery cage bans would go in to effect in 2018, giving state farmers plenty of time to phase out their use of battery cages.

“Treating egg-laying hens like inanimate tools of production and packing them in cages where they can’t even flap their wings is inhumane, and it should be illegal,” said Gene Baur, President and Co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, one of the groups involved in the Washington coalition. Farm Sanctuary is no stranger to pushing forward battery cage bans: Back in 2008, the non-profit shot an undercover video of caged hens on a California farm, a move that helped pass the ban on battery cages in the Golden State. The HSUS has also been running an extensive cage-free campaign, securing commitments from major food producers, retailers, service companies, hospitals, restaurants, and others to switch to cage-free eggs.

This is a truly fantastic effort and if it succeeds, it could act as a model for other states to change their food systems. If you live in Washington and can help out with the coalition's petition efforts, want to spread the word about the campaign, or can donate a little money, head over to the Washingtonians for Humane Farms' Web site and sign up.With your  help, we can ban battery cages in Washington — and hopefully, throughout America.

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Photo Credit: Svadilfari via Flickr

Taylor Leake is a foodie and activist. He's previously worked for Food and Water Watch and Wake Up Walmart.
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